Blueprint for Success: Time Management

Learning how to learn is essential for success in school. This third installment, How do I get there?, details several skills your child can learn and practice that will help him/her in school now and in lifelong learning.

“Time management” means being efficient at “spending” time. Your child’s day is filled with school assignments and extracurricular activities. By dividing any assignment or activity into manageable subtasks (remember “objectives”?), and taking action to accomplish each subtask, the “big” assignment can be completed on time without too much drama. Time management is a skill that can be learned.

Skill: Learn “Time Management”

How?

Do an activity together and talk about how “time management” is a part of completing the “assignment.” You might make a cake, plan a vacation, or go to a movie.

Get a Planner

Planners are calendars that are usually divided into blocks of days, and even hours, and come in the “at a glance” weekly type or monthly type. The idea is that when an assignment is given, the student writes it down in the planner/calendar.

Many schools suggest buying a planner and may have a particular type in mind. Not all schools require that all teachers use the planner or that all students keep up with one, but it’s a good idea if you, as a parent, insist that your child use a planner.

Let your child pick out the planner that fits her/his learning style. Some students may prefer a digital planner. Encourage them to keep it up to date. Look at it with them daily and ask about the assignments.

To-Do List (child):

Use a pencil to write in a hard-copy planner to allow for changes.

When an assignment is given and entered in a planner, that’s the day that the assignment is due. Break the assignment down and establish pre-dates: The spelling test is Friday. Enter in the planner: Monday and Wednesday, go over the words based on learning style. Thursday, take a practice test.

Use the planner to prepare for assignments: Have materials (poster board, markers, pictures, etc.) ready for projects before projects are due.

Stay committed and self-disciplined to complete assignments. Attitude is important!

Add extracurricular activities to the planner. They take planning, too.

Allow time each day to do something you love or may come to love. Plan time for family and friends. Parent: Introduce new activities and experiences to your child. He or she may discover their passion and purpose!

Eliminate or limit time-busters/time-wasters. TV and devices may have their place in learning and relaxing, but they can easily take over your time. Parent: Establish a TV/device time schedule that is posted on the refrigerator; use a kitchen timer if you have to. Stick to the schedule.

Not-To-Do List (child)

Procrastinate. “Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.” — Thomas JeffersonHowever, sometimes it may be a fear of not having enough time to do the assignment that keeps you from getting started. “Don’t let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in the way of your doing it. The time will pass anyway, we might as well put that passing time to the best possible use.” — Earl Nightingale

Don’t overschedule. School assignments can be overwhelming at times. Take needed breaks from studying. Plan carefully, stay on task, complete one step at a time/one subtask at a time. If there are too many extracurricular activities, even if they are fun, cut back.

Don’t forget to prioritize. Consider all of your assignments. Do the “hardest” assignment first. “If you want to make good use of your time, you’ve got to know what’s important and then give it all you’ve got!” — Lee Iacocca

Parent: Don’t ignore signs of anxiety and stress in your child. Take time to talk and listen. Request parent/teacher conferences if your child is having trouble with the workload.

This article introduced the third building block in our Study Guide foundation by adding “Time Management” to your child’s study skills toolbox. Skills need to be practiced to be learned, so have patience and give lots of encouragement while your child masters each skill and applies it to school and lifelong learning. Find previous Study Guide articles at memphisparent.com.

The December 2017 installment addressed: Where Am I Now? That segment centers on learning styles. Is your child a visual, auditory, or kinesthetic learner — or a combination of styles? Study suggested techniques that could support their learning style.

In the January 2018 issue of Memphis Parent, we focused on Where Do I Want to Be? It teaches how to think about and write goals, objectives, and action plans.

Next month’s skills: organization and listening. Please visit studyskillssystem.org for more information.